ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. pop — to visit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pop — soda
  8. perch — the fish
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pop — music
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. tube — the underground
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. swing — in golf
  17. clip — for paper
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. swing — music
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. tube — a container
  22. clip — a video
  23. clip — to cut
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com